Standing on the shoulders of giants

Working with some of the best in the business can be a challenging task. It will either make you or break you and can become a catalyst for success in future endeavours.

SEVERAL weeks ago, I received a surprising call from a head-hunter who asked me if I would be keen of a chief operating officer position with a multi-national company. I was taken aback and surprised that the person did not seem to realise I run my own company and never even gave any thought to going back to the employment world.

When I mentioned this on social media, a friend who is a successful businessman commented that if it was a position in Google or Apple, then I should take it.

He said if it was him, he would pack his bags and head to Silicon Valley without any hesitation.

What he said got me thinking — no, not about packing up and leaving for Silicon Valley but about the opportunity to be an apprentice to someone who owns a successful business.

Recently, in the television series The Apprentice Asia, 12 contestants went through a series of challenges to demonstrate why they should become the apprentice of Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.

Some of them were already successful entrepreneurs.

Now, if you were given an opportunity to apprentice under someone great, would you choose to be an apprentice or an entrepreneur?

Or perhaps some of us are able to become entrepreneurs because we have had the opportunity to be an apprentice under someone great and intelligent before?

Sure, they may not exactly be the Steve Jobs, Richard Bransons or Jack Welchs of this world. Instead, they may be your local heroes, people who have forged their own path and are successful in their own right.

While many look up to these well-known business people and innovators as role models and leaders, some of them are known to be not so easy to work with. For one, they are known to have very high standards and expectations. They call a spade a spade and if they see something sub-standard, they will not hesitate to speak their mind.

They are known to work fast and think fast. Whoever cannot keep up with them will be left behind.

They will not slow down to accommodate anyone as they move resolutely towards their goals. Whenever they are in the presence of people, they seem larger than life and their passion is infectious.

People who have had first-hand experience of working with some of these ‘giants’ would know that the experience would either break you or make you. Because these people are not mediocre and do not accept mediocrity, the people who work for them are not allowed to be mediocre as well.

I find that the good ones will stay on and become better in their work while the not so good ones will leave.

In my life, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with quite a few intelligent people. One of them, a former boss, was a key catalyst in enabling me to do what I can do today, although he did not directly cause me to start my own business.

During my time working with him, he constantly challenged me to think harder and push beyond my own comfort zone.

If I ever thought I had come up with a good idea, he would find ways to poke holes in the idea to train me to be critical of my work. It was this constant training that taught me to always ask myself, “How can I do this better? How can I be one step ahead?”

Suffice to say, it was not an experience I enjoyed immensely. It was a tough three years and not all my colleagues could understand or appreciate his management style.

But little did I realise then, I was standing on the shoulder of a ‘giant’. His foresight, brilliance and perspectives helped raise and improve my own.

I realise now that had I not worked with someone of his stature, I might not have had the gumption to start my own business. So, whether you are already an entrepreneur or are planning to become one, I hope you will take a moment to appreciate the ‘giants’ in your midst — regardless of how ogre-like they may be at work.

The reason you can be what you are today may be because they are what they are!

Jeanisha wants to wish her former boss, Mr Jimmy Cheah a happy birthday (in advance) and thank him for not giving up on her those days when she was ‘struggling to be trained’. If you have had similar bosses or experiences, share with her at [e-mail]